IPOH: A civil servant pleaded guilty at a Sessions Court here to a charge of using a false document as genuine papers for the purpose of carrying out ICT hardware maintenance works that were not executed.
Sessions Court Judge Meor Sulaiman Ahmad Tarmizi imposed a RM2,000 fine in default one month jail on Zuraime Ramli, 43, an assistant information technology officer at the Batang Padang district education office in Tapah.
The accused had pleaded guilty to an alternative charge of using a forged document as genuine under Section 471 of the Penal Code, which is punishable under Section 465 of the same Code, which carries a maximum two years imprisonment, a fine or both.
According to the charge sheet, Zuraime had used a document as genuine, namely the certificate of account receipt for ICT hardware maintenance works amounting to RM25,000, when he had reason to believe that the document was false, as the said ICT hardware maintenance works were not carried out.
He had committed the offence at the district education office on Aug 1, 2023.
Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission prosecuting officer G. Nanthini prosecuted, while the accused was unrepresented.
In mitigation, the accused said he has four children, wife and mother-in-law to look after.
According to the facts of the case, on April 10, 2023, the Batang Padang District Education Office received an allocation warrant for ICT maintenance amounting to RM25,000 from the Perak State Education Department.
On Aug 1, 2023, Zuraime prepared and certified a receipt account certificate claiming that the ICT maintenance work had been fully carried out, although the supplies were never delivered.
On Aug 16, 2023, a payment of RM24,800, after deducting RM200 payable to Commerce Dot Com Sdn Bhd was credited to the account of Bidor Soon Hin Computer Sdn Bhd.
Investigations later revealed that the ICT maintenance work had not been supplied.
Zuraime had requested the funds be temporarily placed in the company’s account, fearing the allocation would otherwise be withdrawn.
He paid the fine.
